Little Women (Sterling Classics)

I just recieved this book in the mail. I had purchased it to give as a gift to my daughter, who is 17, as a gift for Christmas. I was so impressed when I opened the package. It is a beautiful book! Perfect to give as a gift!

This was one of my favorite books as a child -- and even now, the chapter "Dark Days" (and other parts, too!) make me cry. I NOW find the character of the mother ("Marmee") and her constant moralizing annoying; but it's still a great book. And little girls still read it and weep over it (I volunteer in schools and meet a lot of kids).

I think this is because the characters of the girls and Laurie are so real and the book has so much more heart than many things published now; but who knows? At different times in my life, I've liked each of the sisters (except Meg) the best and think this is quite common though most of us first like Jo. At any rate, I believe in the characters and find the book touching...even when I'm annoyed by Marmee! I just ignore her moralizing as I probably would have tried to do in real life if she had been my mother.

Two facts: If you visit Boston, you can go to Concord and see one of the houses where Louisa May Alcott lived -- it's now a museum and furnished as it would have been in her day. And the conversation in my novel BLOW OUT THE MOON about Litle Women, Jo, and Amy is one of the things that happened in real life just as it does in the book.

This hardbound book by Louisa May Alcott is a MUST for anyone wanting a truly "good" book for their child or themselves to read. The book is printed on quality paper and beautiful cover. There is also a bookmark incorporated into the binding to keep your place. We have used this with the Unabridged story on CD to help the younger children with their reading. They can listen and follow along. It is a quality story, a timeless classic, in a quality binding. It far surpassed what I had expected in terms of paper, binding, etc. I am so happy we got this book, and the price was more than reasonable for what we received!

This is one of my favorite books. I am an avid reader, and there are some books which I have read more than once, but when I think about them years - or even months - later, I cannot for the life of me remember some of the main charactors' names. It is not so with this book. I could not forget it, or stop loving it, no matter what!

Louisa May Alcott wrote many books, but "Little Women" retains a special place in the heart of American literature. Her warmly realistic stories, sense of comedy and tragedy, and insights into human nature make the romance, humor and sweet stories of "Little Women" come alive.

The four March girls -- practical Meg, rambunctious Jo, sweet Beth and childish artist Amy -- live in genteel poverty with their mother Marmee; their father is away in the Civil War. Despite having little money, the girls keep their spirits up with writing, gardening, homemade plays, and the occasional romp with wealthier pals. Their pal, "poor little rich boy" Laurie, joins in and becomes their adoptive brother, as the girls deal with Meg's first romance, Beth's life-threatening illness, and fears for their father's safety.

The second half of the book opens with Meg's wedding (if not to the man of her dreams, then to the man she loves). Things rapidly go awry after the wedding, when Laurie admits his true feelings to Jo -- only to be rejected. Distraught, he leaves; Amy also leaves on a trip to Europe with a picky old relative. Despite the deterioration of Beth's health, Jo makes her way into a job as a governess, seeking to put her treasured writing into print -- and finds her destiny as well.

There's a clearly autobiographical tone to "Little Women." Not surprising -- the March girls really are like the girls next door. Alcott wrote them with flaws and strengths, and their misadventures -- like Amy's embarrassing problem with her huge lobster -- have the feeling of authenticity. How much of it is real? A passage late in the book portrays Alcott -- in the form of Jo -- "scribbling" down the book itself, and getting it published because it feels so real and true.

Sure, usually classics are hard to read. But "Little Women" is mainly daunting because of its length; the actual stories flow nicely and smoothly. Don't think it's just a book for teenage girls, either -- adults and boys can appreciate it as well. There's something for everyone: drama, romance, humor, sad and happy endings alike.

Alcott's writing itself is nicely detailed. While certain items are no longer in common use (what IS a charabanc anyway?), Alcott's stories themselves seem very fresh and could easily be seen in a modern home. And as nauseating as "heartwarming" stories sometimes are, these definitely qualify. Sometimes, especially in the beginning, Alcott is a bit too preachy and hamhanded. But her touch becomes defter as she writes on.

Jo is the quintessential tomboy, and the best character in the book: rough, gawky, fun-loving, impulsive, with a love of literature and a mouth that is slightly too big. Meg's love of luxury adds a flaw to the "perfect little homemaker" image, and Beth just avoids being shown as too saintly. Amy is an annoying little brat throughout much of the first half of the book, but by her teens she's almost as good as Jo.

"Little Women" is one of those rare classic novels that is still relevant, funny, fresh and heartbreaking today. Louisa May Alcott's best-known novel is a magnificent achievement.